SpongeBob's Pikachu
Is the first Pokémon obtained by SpongeBob on his journey as a Pokémon Trainer. History In the first episode of the Pokémon anime, Houseters Pokémon - I Choose You!, SpongeBob woke up late the day he was supposed to go to Professor Plankton's Laboratory to obtain his first Pokémon. When he arrived at the lab, the three available starter Pokémon, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, had already been taken by other Trainers who arrived earlier. Seeing that SpongeBob was disappointed, Professor Plankton gave him Pikachu, which did not take a liking to his new Trainer, constantly zapping him and anyone else nearby. He refused to go into his Poké Ball, and when Ash failed to catch a Pidgey, he laughed at him. However, by the end of the episode, Ash gained Pikachu's trust by protecting him from an attack by a flock of Spearow and rushing him to the Pokémon Center. Pikachu and SpongeBob soon became inseparable. In Pikachu's Goodbye, SpongeBob gave Pikachu his consent to remain in a forest filled with Pikachu, but Pikachu decided to stay by SpongeBob's side. In general, Pikachu as a species are not particularly powerful, but SpongeBob's Pikachu is an anomaly, overcoming odds in battle numerous times. In Showdown in Clarinet City, he defeated Squidward's Onix with an Electric-type attack that triggered the sprinkler system causing Onix to be drenched in water, one of its weaknesses. In Electric Shock Showdown, Pikachu fought Gary the Snail's Raichu and lost. During a resulting hospital stay, he refused to become Raichu's equal by evolving via a Thunderstone, and in the second battle, Pikachu overcame Raichu by using his superior speed. The same situation happened in Pika and Goliath! where Pikachu reaffirmed his decision not to evolve. In Houseters Pokémon Emergency!, Meowth remarked that Pikachu's power "far exceeds its evolutionary level". SpongeBob's Pikachu has also defeated very powerful Pokémon that Ash's other Pokémon were unable to, such as Dragonite and Metagross. He has helped Ash win innumerable battles and Gym and League matches. Personality and Characteristics Pikachu is extremely loyal to SpongeBob, and while he is not always immediately trusting of strangers, he is generally friendly to humans and Pokémon alike. He acted as a guardian and big brother to Sandy's Togepi, and has been seen mediating and even breaking up fights among other Pokémon, such as in Pikachu's Vacation. In Mewtwo Strikes Back, Pikachu, Meowth, and Meowth's clone were the only Pokémon not to participate in the giant battle; Pikachu stood motionless as his clone repeatedly slapped his face. Contrary to his distrusting nature, Pikachu took a liking to Sandy very early in the series, and he has retained this liking of Sandy throughout the series, such as when he was very happy to see her in The Scheme Team. However, even Pikachu has had exceptions to this rule. In Anti-Pikachu Re-Volts, Pikachu was controlled by Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda, which caused him to become evil and disobey SpongeBob's commands. During the Hoenn saga, Pikachu temporarily developed amnesia and sided with Team Fairy for a while. Later within the same series, Pikachu was possessed by the Red Orb and controlled by Groudon, nearly causing a disaster. On several occasions, Pikachu has developed an "electric flu" causing him to become overcharged, and extremely powerful. During these instances, Pikachu will sometimes accidentally let off electric outbursts which can be set off on anyone, including SpongeBob. In all of these cases, Pikachu did not intentionally mean harm upon anyone. Moves Used Read More Category:Infobox templates Category:Pokémon whose types are not set Category:Characters